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MAGAZINE Trains of Thought Prototype modeling meets Tony Koester FEBRUARY '08 Eastern corridors CSX and Norfolk Southern are laying track, rebuilding lines, and spending millions to go for the long-hauls in emerging eastern corridors Kool-aid, creosote, and the Lackawanna An introduction to railroading, New Jersey style The slim princess of China These little engines continue the big steam show Hay burners Before there was steam, the horsepower on some railroads was one Hot steel on cold rails On board a train hauling molten iron Map of the Month: Kansas City Southern resources in the 1930s Plus: Amtrak food service trials SUBSCRIBE TODAY! 1-800-533-6644 Order online at www.TrainsMag.com 98 Model Railroader • www.ModelRailroader.com Making progress on a model railroad involves balance and timing. Right now, Tony’s focus is on getting his railroad running more reliably. Then will come more scenery and structures, as well as greater emphasis on locomotive and car detailing. Tony Koester photo I attend four or five prototype modeling meets each year. These used to be considered freight-car modeling meets, but the content of the myriad clinics presented at such affairs has broadened to include just about any topic you can imagine that is related to improving one’s understanding of how full-size railroads look and operate. Many attendees are freelancers, in fact. I invariably come home with notebook pages filled with newly acquired information. I’m inspired to tackle projects on my own railroad with a greater degree of comfort, now that I know what I’m supposed to be doing. A visit to my basement quickly puts my expanded database into perspective, however. It really doesn’t matter how much I now know about detailing a Pennsylvania X29 boxcar or an “armstrong” interlocking plant; I have more pressing duties to attend to first, as the accompanying photo confirms. Until I have a place to put something, be it a small fleet of super-detailed cars or a scratchbuilt depot, I’m not overly inclined to tackle such projects. For one thing, storing such models in boxes isn’t going to do their details any good, and I’m out of storage space anyway. Moreover, the doubter in me whispers that I may never get the railroad finished to that degree, so why not spend the time on projects that promise an immediate return on my investment? I didn’t dismantle the Allegheny Midland and start building the Nickel Plate’s St. Louis Division with any long-term objectives in mind. Of course, I hoped the railroad would progress to the point where I could operate it, and where it would recall my days spent on the prototype as a youth. Those goals have been reached. It doesn’t yet run as smoothly as the AM did, but most of the glitches have been identified and can be remedied in the next few months. It’s well beyond the proof-ofconcept stage. I should plant a flag and declare victory. The railroad is not, however, at a point where I can spend most of my modeling time detailing cars and locomotives, which is a shame because I have a fleet of steam locomotives that really needs my attention. Most lack working Mars lights and Digital Command Control sound decoders, for starters. Higher up on the to-do list are more important matters. I bought a bundle of commercial turnouts manufactured without insulated